What is Shaolin Ch'uan Fa?
Shaolin Ch'uan Fa means "The way of the Shaolin fist", and stands for an ancient Chinese defense method. Shaolin Ch'uan
Fa originated in India about 5000 years ago. It is said that Buddha was so impressed by this martial art, that it was
adopted by the Buddhists. Although Buddhism preaches love and serenity, it also needed to protect it's laws, which
couldn't always be done with words. In the 6th century, a monk named Bodhidharma brought Buddhism to China. These
exercises evolved to very efficient fighting techniques, later called "Shaolin Ch'uan Fa". It proved very useful in later
centuries, as the monastery was attacked several times. In the beginning the techniques where secret, but soon the
monks became famous as the best fighters in China, and the monks started to train the farmers, who where suppressed
by the emperor. In later centuries Shaolin Ch'uan Fa, also referred to as Shaolin Kung-Fu, became the national martial art
of China, and several different styles evolved throughout the country. In the beginning of the 20th century Shaolin Ch'uan
Fa was brought to Japan by Kung-Fu master Doshin So. He traveled through China, and combined all different styles in
one method: Shaolin Kempo. Kempo is the Japanese expression for martial-arts, or fighting skills. From there Shaolin
Kempo spread all over the world.
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